“O, Come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.  For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.  In his hand are the deep places of the earth:  the strength of the hills is his also.  The sea is his, and he made it:  and his hands formed the dry land.  O come, let us worship and bow down:  let us kneel before the Lord our maker.  For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.  To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:…”

“O sing unto the Lord a new song:  sing unto the Lord, all the earth.  Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.  Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.  For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised:  he is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the nations are idols:  but the Lord made the heavens.  Honour and majesty are before him:  strength and beauty are in his sancutary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name:  bring an offering, and come into his courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:  fear before him, all the earth.  Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth:  the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved:  he shall judge the people righteously.  Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.  Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein:  then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the Lord:  for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth:  he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.”

“Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according unto thy word.  Teach me good judgment and knowledge:  for I have believed thy commandments.  Before I was afflicted I went astray:  but now have I kept thy word.  Thou are good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes…It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.  The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.                                  Psalm 119:65-68,71-72

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!  For who hath known the mind of the Lord?  or who hath been his counsellor?  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things:  to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”  Romans 33-36

I started out reading in Mark 1 today. I only read the one chapter but I found a few interesting thoughts I’d never thought before. The first thought is why was Jesus baptised? The Bible said that others were being baptized and repenting of their sins…..so why was Jesus baptized? Obviously He had no sins to repent of. I realize He did so as an example, but still it doesn’t make sense to me that he would be baptized.

Then the second thought. Jesus started healing sick people and casting out demons, and well he didn’t want the newly-well people to go and tell anyone about what had happened. Also He made the demons to not be able to speak so they wouldn’t point out that He was the Son of God (which the first demon did point out). Later on in his ministry, Jesus did want those that He touched to go and tell others about Him, didn’t He? My guess is that since this was the beginning of his ministry, Jesus didn’t want too many people knowing about him right at first so that the people wouldn’t hold him back from going to other places, healing, and spreading the news of himself – right? Any other reasons, do you think?

Anyone feel like talking about this? It’s just what I’ve been thinking today…

Erika

“O come, let us sing unto the Lord:  let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.  For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.  In his hand are the deep places of the earth:  the strength of the hills is his also.  The sea is his, and he made it:  and his hands formed the dry land.  O come, let us worship and bow down:  let us kneel before the Lord our maker.  For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.  To day if ye will hear his voice…”

“O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.  Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.  Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.  For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised:  he is to be feared above all gods, for all the gods of the nations are idols:  but the Lord made the heavens.  Honour and majesty are before him:  strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name:  bring an offering, and come into his courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:  fear before him, all the earth.”

(Psalm 95:1-7 / Psalm 96:1-9)

For the past several Sunday nights we have been discussing how to refute “mistakes” in the Bible and the inspiration of Scripture.  It has been an elightening and educational journey so far.  To be honest though, sometimes navigating the Bible can be a bit tricky.  If you haven’t grown up in a Christian environment, understanding some of the archaic language used during the period the King James Version was compiled can be difficult.  It can be difficult enough for someone who has grown up in a Christian environment.    But it is a journey worth navigating!  Along these lines I wanted to share with you something I read this week which has stoked the fire in my heart and reminded me of what the Bible really is for a child of God.

“The Bible has been banned, burned, scoffed, and ridiculed.  Scholars have mocked it as foolish.  Kings have branded it as illegal.  A thousand times over it the grave has been dug, and the dirge has begun, but somehow the Bible never stays in the grave.  Not only has it survived, it has thrived (italics mine).  It is the single most popular book in all of history.  It has been the best-selling book in the world for years!

There is no way on earth to explain it.  Which perhaps is the only explanation.  The answer?  The Bible’s durability is not found on earth; it is found in heaven.  For the millions who have tested its claims and claimed its promises there is but one answer—the Bible is God’s book and God’s voice….

The purpose of the Bible is to proclaim God’s plan and passion to save his children.  That is the reason this book has endured throught the centuries…It is the treasure map that leads us to God’s highest treasure, eternal life.” (Max Lucado, The Inspirational Study Bible)

The voice of God, how cool is that?  Since the Bible is God-breathed, it is most precious to a child of His.  It is His very words and thoughts!  It expresses His passion for His creation.  Not only does the Bible show the path to salvation, it gives us the answers to life’s most difficult questions.  It shines light on a dark and dreary path, gives hope during a painful trial and brings joy when we read of His love for us.  Take time, make time for this valuable gift.  Below I have attached some simple tools for Bible study.  (I do not know who came up with this so I do not know whom to give credit to. )

Four Steps for Study and Application

1. Pray for insight on how to apply the passage.

2. Meditate on the passage.    

     a. Visualize the scene.     

     b. Emphasize repeated words.     

     c. Rewrite the passage in your own words.      d. Personalize the passage. (Insert your name for used pronouns.)     e. Use SPACEPETS
          S-Sin to confess